Richard Virenque

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Richard Virenque

Virenque at the 2003 Tour de France
Personal information
Full name	Richard Virenque
Nickname	Ricco
Born	(1969-11-19) 19 November 1969 (age 55) Casablanca, Morocco[1][2]
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)
Weight	65 kg (143 lb; 10 st 3 lb)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Climbing specialist
Professional teams
1991–1992	RMO
1993–1998	Festina–Lotus
1999–2000	Team Polti
2001–2002	Domo–Farm Frites–Latexco
2003–2004	Quick-Step–Davitamon
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France Mountains classification (1994–1997, 1999, 2003, 2004) 7 individual stages (1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002–2004) Giro d'Italia 1 individual stage (1999) One-Day Races and Classics Paris–Tours (2001)
Medal record Representing  France Men's road bicycle racing World Championships 1994 Agrigento Elite Men's Road Race

Richard Virenque^{[n 1]} (born 19 November 1969) is a retired French professional road racing cyclist. He was one of the most popular French riders with fans^[3] for his boyish personality and his long, lone attacks.^{[n 2]} He was a climber, best remembered for winning the King of the Mountains competition of the Tour de France a record seven times, but he is best known from the general French public as one of the central figures in a widespread doping scandal in 1998, the Festina Affair, and for repeatedly denying his involvement despite damning evidence.

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